New VW Touareg sheds 200kg

Following in the Polo's footsteps, Volkswagen has revealed that the next version of their Touareg will shed as much as 208kg in the base model and offer up to 20% improvements in economy.

The weight saving amounts to as much as 10% removed from the kerb weight of the previous Touareg, and coupled with improved aerodynamics and updated engines, including a new hybrid motor, the new Touareg promises to be one of the most efficient large SUVs on the market.

According to Volkswagen's press release (available on ABG), the new Touareg also offers more space, more equipment (including stop/start technology) and more off-road biased options packages. Visually, the new car shares Volkswagen's family face first seen on the Scirocco, and it works well with the slightly more chiselled body, making the car look much smaller and more dynamic.

Of course, the weight savings on the Touareg will be reflected in the upcoming Audi Q7 and Porsche Cayenne, which share the same platform. Perhaps Volkswagen's step onto the treadmill will encourage other manufactures to do the same with their larger vehicles - the biggest gains can be found from improving the efficiency of the biggest vehicles.

(Image: Volkswagen)

Tarmac's Top Ten 'Till 'Ten

Okay, so we're a little late on the bandwagon, but Tarmac has finally compiled it's list of the top ten cars of the last ten years. From 2000 until the end of 2009 there's been a seismic shift in the kind of cars available to the market, and about the attitudes towards the car that have influenced the characteristics people look for.

Although Tarmac is by and large influenced by smaller and more efficient cars, the list reflects a diverse selection of cars that have all made a big impact on the automotive world over the last ten years. So, in no particular order...

MINI Cooper

The BMW Mini came in for some flak when it was released, much of it from original Mini owners who disliked BMW's cavalier use of "their" brand. The press loved it however. The Cooper version was arguably the best of the bunch (and Evo magazine would agree) because it offered fun in the spirit of the original Mini in a reliable and useable package. They're finally coming down in value on the second hand market now too, so there's never been a better time to buy.

Porsche Cayman

Porsche has done the unthinkable - they've accidentally built a car that, were it not for the (deliberate) deficit in power, completely eclipses their stalwart 911 in all areas. Car journalists barely have a bad word to say about it save for a slightly high price, and it seems to successfully win handling tests the world over. And being a Porsche, it's utterly useable day to day.

smart Roadster

The "My First Porsche"? There's certainly more than a hint of Stuttgart in the sound (and location) of the engine, an 800cc triple mounted inches behind your lower back. The styling is fantastic and it pulls the usual smart trick of a great driving position and loads of space. Unless you happen to be luggage, in which case you'd better be small. Even with the suspect gearbox it's a bundle of fun and 50mpg is there for the taking.

Jaguar XF

The car to prove that Jaguar a) still has "it" and b) still has a future. Thankfully the latter has been secured by Ratan Tata's purchase of the company, but the former is assured in the way that the XF went straight to the top of the class with great styling, supreme comfort and cutting edge technology. A welcome return to form.

Tesla Roadster

Hugely important, the Tesla. A fledgeling company (albeit one with strong financial backing) arrives in the market and immediately creates an electric car exponentially better than any other that's come before. Performance is seriously impressive and it even has a great range. The next few years will see the Model S, a pretty saloon that'll no doubt re-write the electric car rulebook once again.

Audi A2

Arriving right at the start of the millennium, the A2 was apparently ten years too early. A lighweight aluminium body, ultra-efficient engines and cutting-edge styling all went unnoticed when people saw the price, which starting at £12.5k was just too much for a B-segment car competing against Ford Fiestas. Best model was the later 90bhp 1.4 TDI that managed an average of 64mpg and 60mph in ten seconds.

Ferrari 360CS

Unlike the A2 the CS isn't the most fuel efficient car around, but it wins it's top ten slot for being the ultimate expression of one of the ultimate marques. The normal 360 was wonderful but the Challenge Stradale is like the standard model fuelled after a night of Vodka and Red Bull. Louder, meaner, more aggressive and ready to take on the world. There's never been a better car on which to paint go-faster stripes.

Lotus Elise S

Impressive though the Tesla is, the basic Elise proves that you don't need an electric drivetrain to make a sports car efficient. With 1.8 litres of Toyota power, sixty arrives in under six seconds and you're still offered an average of 37mpg when you aren't using all the revs. And being a Toyota engine, there's a strange sense of calm that models with the Rover K-Series never offered. Sublime handling? That's been there all along.

Renaultsport Clio 200 Cup

Renault have probably averaged one hot Clio each year for the past ten, but the latest is definitely the greatest. Sure, the new front end is questionable (Tarmac loves it though), but the giant killing ability certainly isn't. The 200 Cup is a true emperor in a long dynasty of Clios - 16V, Williams, 172, 172 Trophy, 182, 182 Cup, 197,197 Cup, 200...

Volkswagen Scirocco

Who'd have thought it? Trustworthy - if slightly staid - Volkwagen, bringing out one of the most attractive designs of the last decade? Yet that's what they've done with the Scirocco, and yet being based on the old faithful Golf you still get all the comfort and quality you'd expect. It's a car that makes you question the need for a 3-door Golf with style and handling like the Scirocco offers.

Here's to the next ten years...

(Images: Audi, Auto Express, Daimler-Chrysler, Ferrari, Jaguar, MINI, Porsche, Renault, Tesla, Volkswagen)

Prius (Priuses? Prii?) breaking the 300k mile mark

I was going to use this post to mention the new eco-star from the LA Auto Show, Volkswagen's Up! Lite, with it's headline 70mpg/84mpg (US/UK). Though the regular Up! will go on sale in 2011 however, there is still no confirmation that the Lite, which looks very much like the L1 concept +2, will make the cut. Until we find out for sure, I'll leave the speculation to the bigger motoring blogs and simply furnish you with a few photographs of the Lite:

Of more current interest is the discovery that, contrary to popular belief, some people are attaining stratospherically high mileages from petrol-electric Hybrids like the Prius. One owner managed to get 349,531 miles out of his first-gen Prius before it was unfortunately written off. The mileage isn't the most surprising aspect though - this is reserved for finding out that the mileage was achieved on the original battery set. This will no doubt upset those who believe that big off-roaders like Hummers and Jeeps are greener over their life-span than a Prius because they last longer (even though this was disproven, unsurprisingly, not long after).

It seems like hybrids can last for a while, which is reassuring news for those wishing to buy one second hand, now that used prices are quite tempting (in the UK, early Prius and Civic IMAs seem to be going for little over £3k now). Of course, you should always buy on condition, but it appears that a well-maintained hybrid can easily last as long as any other car - and it's worth bearing in mind that hybrid drivers aren't likely to work their cars too hard...

(Images: Volkswagen & Toyota)

The future of motor racing?... Or are we already there?

Since man invented the motor car, his primal instinct for excitement and speed has always compelled him to race it against the next man's motor car.

Never before though has there been such pressure for our favourite method of transportation to become less polluting and less energy consuming. The effects can already be seen in many race series where economical diesel race cars have been competing and indeed winning for years now, and where many motorsports are aiming to cut costs and cut their carbon emissions as they travel around the globe. Even in the high octane world of motor racing, every little helps.

But what if we look further into the future? One man, Moritz Martin, has done just that with his concept for the futuristic 1 Liter Racing League. The concept is Mr Martin's degree project and is apparently inspired by "the insanity of Swamp Buggy, Land Speed Record races and the Eco Marathon". The idea is to use tactics and skill to finish the race on just a single litre of fuel. The driver's cause is aided by being able to skim the car across thin layers of water and other varied surfaces to use as little energy in movement as possible. The car can be aided in sliding by rear-wheel mounted air nozzles for "frictionless steering".

(Images: Moritz Martin)

It's a facinating concept, and one that looks a lot of fun. However... what if you want to take part in some eco-friendly racing here, and now? Your options are clearly a little limited - after all, motor racing is hardly the most eco-friendly sport in the world. That isn't to say though that it isn't possible - if you look hard enough.

Kei Car Racing

(Image: Speedhunters.com)

If you live in Japan, you've probably come across this already. Kei-Jidosha are Japan's answer to overcrowding on the roads, and thanks to their minimal proportions and even more miniscule engines (660cc and 63bhp is the current maximum limit), they're the perfect choice for low-consumption racing. There are series for Keis both old and newer, and of course you could always take one to an autocross event like this Daihatsu Copen on YouTube, where small proportions and low inertia do wonders for cornering ability.

Eco Marathons

(Image: Thinkorthwim.com)

Events like the Shell Eco Marathon are growing in popularity all the time and the records for miserly fuel consumption tumble quicker than the times at a 100m race with Usain Bolt. The current World Record is a mind-boggling average of 10,705mpg, achieved by team Microjoule in 2003. Of course - these aren't really "cars" so much as tiny engines in composite cigars with a driver filling the rest of the available space - but it's still a race of sorts and like the 1 Liter Racing League aims to use as little fuel as possible over a set distance. And you can certainly do the race on a small budget too, even if the top teams spend a little more to achieve the figures they do. You could turn up with a lawnmower-powered soapbox racer if you wanted.

Citroën 2CV racing

(Image: Maria Cooke @ 2cvracing.co.uk)

Perhaps a bit of a wild card, but even so, people do race the tree-hugger's wheels of choice and there are thriving race series for the little cars all over Europe - the UK Classic 2CV Racing Club has been around for over 20 years! The cars are cheap to buy, prepare and run, and with the weight of a feather in a helium updraught even the modest power from a tiny 600cc engine is able to provide plenty of fun without using a lot of fuel in the process. It's probably one of the cheapest and most economical circuit racing series in the World.

Okay - so none of the above are quite as high-tech as Mr Martin's concept, but they prove that even today you can take part in motor racing that doesn't break the bank, and doesn't pray too heavily on your environmental conscience...

My thanks to Mr Martin himself for his permission to use the 1 liter pictures. Tarmac wishes him the best of luck in his degree!

Volkswagen 1-litre concept one step closer

News arrives via AutoBlogGreen that Volkswagen's 1-litre concept is still under development and nearing production reality.
The concept, now being named the L1, will be on display at the upcoming Frankfurt Motor Show and Volkswagen have released more details about the car and the engine that will be powering it in a press release that you can read in full on ABG's page.

The 1L has a 0.8 litre TDI developed from Volkswagen's new 1.6 TDI that makes its debut in the new Golf and Passat BlueMotion. Along with automatic stop-start, a 0.195 coefficient of drag and thanks to an all-in weight of only 380kg, the 1L is claimed to sip one US gallon of fuel every 170 miles, or 204mpg imperial (and only 36 grammes per kilometer of CO2). This works out at a little over the original 1l/100km that Volkswagen claimed, though I'm sure owners wouldn't complain as the eventual figure is still only 1.38 litres per 100km. Thanks to the light weight and slippery shape, the 1L also manages 100mph.
Volkswagen are now giving the car a tentative 2013 release date. Should give you time to save up...

(Image credits: Volkswagen)

80mpg from diesel-powered first-gen Insight

Yes, you read that correctly. AutoBlogGreen has released news that a company called Red Light Racing has installed Volkswagen's 1.2 litre, 3-cylinder Pumpe Düse TDI in a first-generation Honda Insight and the net result is 80mpg in US gallons - a staggering 96mpg imperial.

The engine has been taken from Volkswagen's Lupo 3L, a model that was only available in mainland Europe and itself made 94mpg imperial, equivalent to 3 litres/100km. The Lupo however was solely diesel-powered - and Red Light Racing state that they haven't even hooked up the Insight's hybrid motor to the diesel unit yet and once they do there could be another 15-20% improvement.

The Lupo 3L was highly modified from the standard Lupo TDI - like the Insight, it used aluminium in much of its construction, and also in common with the Insight it used low rolling-resistance tyres and a stop-start function to save fuel when stopped in traffic. The engine produces 61bhp and makes 140Nm of torque, which is 9bhp less than the Insight's 1.0 litre petrol IMA unit but a useful 27Nm more torque. Coincidentally, both Lupo 3L and Insight weigh in the region of 850kg, so the engine seems ideal for use in the Insight, though according to Red Light Racing the installation naturally wasn't too straightforward.

Diesel clatter aside, the new engine should provide very pleasant driving characteristics too. The final quote goes to Red Light Racing, clearly a company after Tarmac's heart: "The main idea was to take existing hardware, hack it, and make a vehicle that could be produced by major manufacturers or individuals that would deliver tremendous fuel economy without a tremendous leap in technology. I believe we succeeded."

(Image credits: AutoBlogGreen and Wikipedia)